The Anomaly in the Anthropologist
by SMS13
Summary: Some B&B fluff and stuff. Booth returns after his year of service with the army to find that someone is missing. Recently updated... Booth and pink satin lace? That's right. And maybe some babies for cuteness effects.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: No idea where this is coming from but I thought I'd have some fun. I do not own any of the characters on Bones because if I did I would have totally written myself in as Booth's love interest. If Bones don't want him, I'll take him! But regardless, don't own any of the characters and I'm just using them for enjoyment. And please review, reviews are more important than air :)

It was good to be back, Seely Booth thought, as he crossed the entryway to the Smithsonian Anthropological Laboratory. He saw Dr. Brennan's mini-squints (mini only because they were graduate students) running around like they had fires under their asses. He chuckled to himself, thinking it quite funny. He missed the sounds of the hustle and bustle, the crazy experiments Hodgins invented, the companionship the group shared. His one year stint with the army had been extended an extra three months due to conditions in the area. He had been in the states for about three weeks, but he decided to take Parker on a vacation to Florida so he could catch up. Rested and relaxed, he was ready to face the world. And apparently any crazy, rage filled murders as well. He didn't, however, expected to get used to the smells and the textures of rotting flesh. That never really worked for him. He tended to eat light in the mornings.

During his time in Afghanistan, he had made his peace with Bones. The way they left, with so little words, mesmerized their closest friends. Yet there was so much they didn't know. So much that the two of them had promised to keep secret. She had showed up at his house the night before he left. They hadn't planned anything, but he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that she would come. Words had been hard for her to find, she struggled. She understood his reasons for wanting to go, but couldn't comprehend them. Sometimes, neither could he. He needed to get away for a while, to think. Parker's questioning encouraged him to be a role model for his son and motivated him to stay alive and safe. He needed to sort out where his life was going and what better way than to get away. After a few hours of reminiscing about old cases, she had too much to drink. That night, for the first time, he saw her looking more like an insecure teenager than the distinguished anthropologist that she was. She broke down, one of the only times he's ever seen her cry. Between the sobs and deep breaths, he heard her say that she was worried about him, that she didn't want him to get hurt, that if anything happened to him, she would be destroyed. His heart melted in her hands; he had felt a deep seated anger at her for never being willing to open herself to him. But now he understood why - she wasn't as strong as she wanted everyone to believe beyond her tough exterior. He wrapped his arms around her body, rubbing her back, soothing her. It felt so good to be her protector in such a different way. He patiently waited for her to stop crying, kissing her head delicately. She stopped, but what came next completely surprised him. She looked at him, body pressed against his, trying to rub the tears off of his shirt. She kissed him. She actually kissed him. And he couldn't tell if she was just propelled by liquid courage, but it didn't seem like a mistake. She caught him off guard. He kind of sat there like a lump on a log, unresponsive. She pulled away and looked at him as if she had done something terribly wrong. But before she had a second thought, he kissed her back. Wanting, demanding, feeling - all wrapped into one perfectly placed package. And there was no way to stop (the train wreck?). It didn't matter. He was putty in her hands and as long as she wanted it, he wasn't going to stop her. Or should he? He asked. She answered by dragging him straight towards the bedroom. The chaos that ensued was by far one of the best nights of his life. He felt alive. He felt connected. He was in love. He fell asleep with the love of his life in his arms, holding her tightly and vowing to never let her go. The following morning, however, he woke up to an empty bed and a super cold shower. She left him a note on the table: _I don't want you to think last night was a mistake. It wasn't. I just need time to think things through. When you come back, I'll be ready. _He held the note with him at all times. It was crinkled, torn, and about to fall into a million pieces. But it gave him hope. Daydreaming and reminiscing, he hadn't realized he walked into Bones' office. But it wasn't Bones' office. And the figure sitting at the desk next to Cam definitely wasn't Bones. Confusion wiped his face and Cam quickly sprung into action, dragging him into the hallway.

"Where's Bones?" he quickly blurted out. "Did she get a new office somewhere?"

"You mean you haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

"She quit. She came back to the States, turned in her resignation, packed her things, and left. There was nothing anyone could do. No one had any idea why. Not even Angela."

A deep panic rushed over him and he couldn't help but trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Has anyone talked to her since? Where is she?"

"Seely, it's like she fell off the face of the earth. No one's heard from her. A book comes out every few months, but that's the extent of any word from her. She moved, she changed her phone number."

And with that Booth broke out into a run back toward headquarters. Regulations or not, he needed to find her.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: A little bit of a suspense chapter... I know where I'm going so stick with me! Please judge by leaving a review :) And thank you to the few who have - it really makes my day :) Seriously I go from being all :( to being all :D As always, I don't own Bones (but still wish I did!).

Booth, illegally of course, tracked down Brennan's address. At this point, he doubted it would cost him his job. He may get yelled at a little though. But it didn't matter as he pulled up to the address on the card. It was not what he expected - a large house in a subdivision of Washington DC. It had a large green yard, flowers lining the walkway, and toys scattered about. He did a double take - toys scattered about? Brennan didn't have children, or at least he didn't think she did. Was this the right address? He hadn't been gone that long, had he? He parked his car in front of the house and walked up the stairs. He could hear commotion inside the house, but no familiar voices. He knocked on the door, waiting for a response. It took a while for anyone to respond, leaving him with this thoughts. What exactly was he going to say to her? Why did she run away? Essentially, what the hell is going on? As the door lurched open, he recognized a familiar face. Russ was staring back at him, looking not too shocked that he was standing on his doorstep.

"Hi Russ. Is Bones home?"

He watched Russ step outside with him and shut the door behind him. He looked a little uneasy.

"Tempe's not here. She doesn't live here. She bought this house for me and my family."

Booth wondered why the house was registered under Bones' name but had Russ living in it. But he didn't think it was the time to prod into something that most likely was inconsequential.

"Where is she, then?"

Booth felt like it was forever until Russ gave him an answer. It seemed like he was trying to figure out what to say. Booth had to restrain himself from helping Russ along with a gentle shove to the floor.

"She said you would eventually figure it out and come by. I'm not allowed to tell you where she is. She's doing fine and she'll come to you when she's ready. I'm really sorry, Booth, but that's all I'm allowed to say."

Booth wanted to slam his fist through the brick wall next to him. What the hell happened? He though they were okay. This whole thing is so irrational, so illogical, so unlike Brennan.

"If you talk to her, tell her I miss her. Goddamn-it Russ, what the hell is going on? What happened?" He looked Russ straight in the eyes, "Russ, I love her. I need to know she's okay."

He watched Russ nod his head. "She's fine, Booth." Russ shrugged his shoulders at Booth and started back inside. None of this made sense to him as he walked back to his car. Why would she just disappear like that? What happened to her? Did something happen while she was away? Was she placed in witness protection? Has someone tried to come after her while he hasn't been around? The worst feeling was that she was purposely avoiding him. Russ said that she knew he'd come by. Frustrated as all hell, Booth headed back to the Smithsonian to try to piece some answers out of nowhere.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Of course I'm jumping on the bandwagon. It's a fun story and I couldn't help myself. Please review, you have no idea how much it means to me! And of course, I don't own Bones or else this would be an actual storyline...

It had been three weeks since he had visited Russ. Three long, excruciating weeks. If he wasn't working, he was thinking about her. The days dragged without her, even more than they did before. The new anthropologist was competent, but no where near as brilliant as Brennan was. He never went on site with Booth; they rarely communicated. He spent as little time at the Smithsonian as he could.

He knew she was somewhere in the area, he could feel it. He tried a little snooping, but she covered her tracks well. Everything came back to the house that Russ was living in. All her mail, paperwork, bank statements. It was literally like she had disappeared and in that little house was all that was left of her. He didn't have the legal authority to access any more records, or else he would have. As much as he wanted to find her, sitting in a jail cell would not help him. He just wanted to give up, but he knew he couldn't. His heart wouldn't let him.

The crew at the Jeffersonian tried to cheer him up every chance they got. He had bi-weekly, almost tri-weekly sessions, with Dr. Sweets. The sessions, of course, didn't help. The two of them mostly sat around and stared at each other. If there was any news, he would tell Sweets about it and then spend the remaining 45 minutes planning out in his head what he was going to do while Sweets stared at the clock. Really helpful Doc, he thought.

Maybe he should give up; maybe he should move on. If she wanted to get in touch with him she would have. If she hasn't, it means she doesn't want anything to do with him. If it were only that simple.

It was his day off. He was tired from the week. He wanted to break away from her if only for a moment. He wanted some time to himself. He wanted to get plastered and forget she ever existed. Or bitch at her for all she had done to him. Regardless, neither would happen tonight. Or maybe it would - who knows? He promised Parker he would pick him up from school today and they would go see that new Iron Man 2 movie that just came out. It looked exciting and would take his mind off things. Any chance to be with his son was always a break. He knew he had some time before Parker got out, but wanted to beat traffic. Those soccer moms really knew how to kick somebody's ass if you got in their way. Heaven forbid they decide to follow the rules of the road. He wasn't going to mess with any of them... Getting out of his apartment, he dropped off a few stacks of files at the Jeffersonian for Cam and headed out towards Parker's school. He really needed a cup of coffee if he was going to stay awake for much longer.

Last night was definitely not a good night. He couldn't seem to fall asleep. Every time he did, he woke up in a panic. He couldn't remember what he was dreaming, but it scared the crap out of him. He had maybe slept a total of 3 hours, if that. He needed to get Sweets to prescribe some of that sweet, amazing sleeping potion powder thing. He'd sleep just like Sleeping Beauty. That'd be nice. Maybe he'd even get a nice pink lace dress for the occasion...? Can Sweets even prescribe? Eh, he'd ask about it next time.

He pulled up a few blocks away from Parker's school. He saw a coffee shop around the corner. He figured he could park here, get some coffee, and walk to get Parker. That way his car, and his dignity, would remain intact.

The coffee shop was quaint but looked a little too fluffy for his tastes. This coming from the man who just admitted he would wear pink satin and lace if it meant he would sleep... He was really losing it. He looked at the all options hanging about - mocha _Who?_ Frappe _what? _He gave up and just walked up to the counter. "Can I have a large black coffee, two sugars?" The young girl nodded her head and within a matter of seconds his lifeblood was handed to him. He handed her two singles and plopped his change into the tip jar. He still had way too much time on his hands to stand in front of Parker's school like the creepy stalkers they told the kids to keep away from. He headed out to the patio behind the shop, hoping to relax in the fresh air and sunshine for a few minutes.

There was a younger couple, they looked around college age, sitting in a corner with a bunch of books. He couldn't remember the last time he actually studied in college. But he got by. These kids looked intent on whatever they were doing and he sat as far away from them as possible as to not absorb some useless knowledge by accident. On the other end of the patio, a woman was sitting her with back to him. She was sipping some coffee, typing on a laptop, and rocking her stroller with her foot. Her baby sat cooing in the stroller, clearly enjoying the rocking motion and the weather. He sat down just in eyeshot of the baby and was amused by the laughing sounds that erupted from the baby's mouth. He forgot how such small things could make _so_ much noise and mess. He was a small little thing, probably not much older than 6 months - if that. He reminded him so much of Parker, especially the laugh. Although Parker would not allow anyone to put him down. He was such an attention-whore, that one. He liked it when dad held him and then any other pretty woman. At least he trumped the other women. Parker's so going to be a ladies' man in a few years. Hopefully he can teach Parker to be respectful of women before then. He could easily spend the next half hour watching the little one. He loved kids and wished he could have more. There was that incident with Bones and the AI, but that never panned out - maybe it was for the best. No telling how that would have worked out, especially with their completely opposite approaches to everything. The poor kid would have turned out bipolar. Or a perfect blending of the two. Who knows? He never will. He'll probably never find her and spend the rest of his damn life alone and wishing for her. It's funny how once you find "the one" the rest of the world falls short. There is no other woman that compares to her. With that, he decided he needed to start walking. He'd still be early, but maybe he could chit chat with some of the other parents, check up on Parker's friends. He never stopped being overprotective.

On his way out the door, he noticed a toy had fallen out of the baby's stroller. He assumed the baby had tossed it out or lost his grip as he was flailing his little tiny arms and feet to get his mom to rock him when she stopped. The mom clearly hadn't noticed, she was too busy typing away on her laptop, engrossed in whatever she was doing. While he sat there, he watched her occasionally stop and talk to her son, play with his fingers and toes, and then go back to work. He picked the toy off the ground, it made a bunch of weird noises that he wanted desperately to chuckle at. He brushed off some of the dirt on the toy, but he saw that it still wasn't clean. He doubted that the mom would want him playing with it now or else he would have given the baby back the toy. "Excuses me, your son dropped this." The woman didn't respond right away, she just kept staring at her screen. He was about to say something to get her attention again, but she turned around at him. His mind didn't register. He froze. He shut down. What the hell is going on?

"Bones?"

A/N: Please review :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I woke up this morning to REVIEWS! And it made me so incredibly happy I decided to pop out another chapter before my morning coffee! You guys are awesome! And I'm taking some advice and slowing things down a bit... Please let me know what you think! And of course, I don't own Bones.

"Booth." Great. They remembered each other's names. Fantastic. That was a great first step. She looked completely untouched by the events of the past year and a half. It's like she didn't even care. While inside of him, he felt like one of those silly game show wheels was spinning. You know, the ones with the money on them. Except his wheel had emotions and he experienced each one as it went by. He was waiting to see which one it would land on... Confusion. Click. Love. Click. Hate. Click. Happiness. Click. Joy. Click. Pissed. Click. Crap, picking Parker up from school. Click. Anger. Click. Frustration. Click. Calm. Click. Hurt. Click. Parker. Click. Elation. Click. It landed on pissed off. Extremely, epically pissed off. He tried to steady his voice a little but it still came out louder than he had wanted it to. "Bones, what the hell is going on?"!"

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the couple in the corner looking back at them, but neither moved to do anything and pretended to keep working. Also, the cooing from the stroller stopped, the baby also startled by the tone of his voice. She watched her reach in and rub his stomach for a second then she started rocking him back and forth with one hand as she began to pack up her things with the other.

"Temperance? Do you have nothing to say for yourself? You just bolt? You leave everybody behind that loves you and cares about you and you just disappear? What the HELL where you thinking? "

He watched her stop packing her things, but she wouldn't make eye contact with him. They waited in silence for what felt like forever - he didn't move because he wanted answers. He wanted to know. What had made her so callous, so hardened, such a bitch? That love he usually felt for her hadn't quite kicked in yet. And better yet - who in the world was the baby with her? It's not like babies just fall out of the sky. He wanted to grab her and shake her; he just wanted some answers. If he wouldn't have gotten fired, prosecuted, and probably thrown into jail he would have handcuffed her and dragged her to the Jeffersonian and let everyone go at her.

"Clearly your better judgement is clouded by your emotions. I am deducing that this is not the best time to have a conversation with you. However, your physical features indicate you are doing well."

What? Wait, wait, WHAT? She disappeared off the face of the earth for ever a year and now is not a good time to talk? Are you kidding me? Did she fall and hit her head against a big cement walkway and lost half her brain in the process? Now, not a good time? Are you kidding me? Would there be a better time to explain to the ones that love you that you don't love them? Seriously? The situation was so bizarre he didn't even know what the hell to say to her. And he hadn't realized either that he was still holding that damn baby toy. He was so pissed at her he didn't even have time to think about the baby two feet to his right. What the hell, add that to the list of things that is wrong with this conversation. He threw the damn toy at her, "Here." It's all he could muster. What else could he say to the woman who didn't give a damn about anyone in the goddamn world?

She finally stood up and worked her away around him. He was still steaming, literally. If anyone looked at him they would see his face all read and steam coming out from his ears, like they did on those cartoon shows Parker loved to watch. And she still seemed to be completely, completely oblivious to the severity of what she had done. Who the _hell_ did she think she was? She was scared, insecure. She made herself that. She had a family and she chose to leave it. She started to talk away and for once in his life, he didn't stop her. He didn't trust himself to not hurt her. The bitch didn't even look back.

He thought this would go differently - that he would find her, that she would be so happy to see him, that she would look at him with eyes filled with love and tell him that she couldn't be without him ever again... that she was angry he extended his leave and that she waited for him to come back but he never did so she tried to move on but couldn't. Anything,_ anything_ but the look of complete and utter indifference on her face. She wasn't who he thought she really was. He thought she had changed and grown over the five years that he knew her; this apparently wasn't the case.

He waited a while before leaving so he didn't magically acquire another bolt of energy and try to chase her down and give her a piece of his pissed off mind. He threw his coffee cup into the trashcan with all the force that he could channel. He went from loving her to hating her in a split second. And who the hell's baby was that with her? He had enough of her for a lifetime in all of 15 minutes. Just, what the hell? _What the hell?_

A/N: Betcha weren't expecting that... Love it or hate it, please review :) And ya'll know this isn't the end for our star-crossed lovers!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for all the great feedback and reviews! Keeps me motivated to write! And of course, I don't own Bones. I wish I did though... Or maybe just Booth ;)

Booth's session with Dr. Sweets had suddenly turned into a group therapy session and he suddenly felt like he was the only one that wasn't crazy. "You are all willing to excuse her behavior? She just ups and leaves without a word and I'm the only one that's pissed? I'm pretty sure we all have a right to be pissed." His words scathed out of his mouth - he clearly had not cooled down about the topic yet.

"Sweetie, it's Brennan. We all know she has trouble being like the rest of us. Give her a break." He was pretty sure if he had death ray vision he would have melted Angela into a pile of green goo on the spot. Being "special" doesn't give her the right to be completely oblivious to other's feelings. It's not like she's devoid of them herself - she has them but keeps them well under wraps. She knows what it feels like to be left alone and abandoned. But seriously - doing it to another person? Who are all they kidding? There is no excuse.

"We all miss her. But there isn't much we can do. Once she makes up her mind, it's made up - no turning back." Hodgins and Angela would make cute matching piles of green goo on the floor. They could even have a goo wedding, with little white ribbons and a veil on Angela's round green bump of a head. He was already exhausted by the situation in and of itself. He thought he might be able to find solace and comfort with those who feel the same way he does, but apparently not. Had the whole world gone mad and he somewhere missed the memo or the special happy pill? Oh, could he use a happy pill... He didn't sleep at all last night, the coffee wasn't working, and the supportive commune that had formed while he was gone was also pissing him off.

"If she said she was going to talk to you, she'll do it on her own time. I guess you just have to wait." Wait? Wait? Wait for what, the apocalypse? The earth to get sucked into the sun and kill everyone? What was he supposed to wait for? Hadn't he waited enough? His anger kept boiling up inside of him, wanting to smash Sweets' sweet little face into the coffee table. Thankfully he had enough restraint to just imagine it repeatedly in his mind without actually doing it.

"Booth, the baby with her was most likely Russ'. The last time Max was here he was gloating about his new grandson and how happy Russ and his family where. It was a while ago, I don't know how old the baby would be now, maybe a little under a year? She could have just been babysitting." He looked at Angela like she had lost every brain cell in her body. "Yes, Angela, because Brennan leaving everything behind and going into hiding in order to babysit her nephew is totally her style." He rolled his eyes at her quite obnoxiously and started to get up. This conversation, this whole "intervention," whatever the hell it was, was _not_ working and he was _done_ with it.

He stormed out of Sweets' office, nearly plowing into one of the mini-squints as she scuffled off holding a beaker. He couldn't believe what was happening. No one seemed the least bit surprised or hurt by her behavior. And he sure as hell wasn't overreacting. Finally reaching the exit, he stepped outside into the cool air and leaned up against a wall. His head throbbing, his heart aching, and his anger still brewing. Screw it, he was taking the rest of the day off. He'd tell the office he was having some issues with his back and needed to rest. They had a back-up on speed dial anyway. It's not like they were giving him crap - he just got back from Afghanistan and was awarded another medal. He probably could get a note from the damn president at this point. After a quick phone call and a few deep breaths, he calmed himself down to not look like a total creep walking down the street. And with that he started walking, in no direction at all. He just needed to clear his mind of all this mess and make sense of it. He needed to piece himself back together. Where he was going, he had absolutely no idea. He just needed to start walking.

A/N: Please review :) Please, please, please!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the random sporadic updates today and the shortness of this particular chapter. I'm trying to do a deep clean of my place and I stop and write between rooms... I hope you're enjoying and I take all reviews into consideration :) Thank you! I really appreciate them! As always, I do not own Bones.

Booth felt her before he even saw her. It was like a part of his heart that was missing had finally come home. Or maybe he had calmed down enough to realize that his anger only masked the pain and fear he had been harboring. He didn't want to lose her, he couldn't. Not again, not ever. But it didn't mean that he was ready to welcome her with open arms, either.

She sat down next to him on the steps of the Washington Monument, close enough to be barely touching him. This was his spot, the spot she always found him. He came here to think and to remind himself of who he was. This Monument, the city before him, was built by his ancestors as a tribute to a new way of living. He had to take history and learn from it to build a new future.

The two sat in silence, unmoving. The wind whipped her hair, but she didn't fix it. Seconds, minutes, hours, days... It all seemed the same. The tension so thick he would have needed a knife to cut through it. Yet inside, he was falling apart and coming undone. As bad as it has ever been, he'd do anything for her.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her sitting there, as vulnerable as ever. Her hands were wrapped tightly around herself, holding on for dear life. Never had he imagined she would come to him, not after their last encounter.

He took a deep breath and nudged her with his knee, suppressing a smile, hoping for the best. He didn't know how she would react, if she would at all. After what seemed like an eternity, he felt her arm slipping through his and her head leaning against his shoulder. He was holding back tears as he heard her whisper get lost in the wind... "I missed you."

A/N: Better? Worse? Still many unanswered questions... And don't worry, there will be a nice plot twist coming up shortly so keep reading and reviewing!


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